---
title: Installing Papra using Docker
description: Self-host Papra using Docker.
slug: self-hosting/using-docker
---
import { Steps } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';

Papra provides optimized Docker images for streamlined deployment. This method is recommended for users seeking a production-ready setup with minimal maintenance overhead.

- **Simplified management**: Single container handles all components
- **Lightweight**: Optimized image sizes across architectures
- **Cross-platform support**: Compatible with `arm64`, `arm/v7`, and `x86_64` systems
- **Security options**: Supports both rootless (recommended) and rootful configurations

## Prerequisites

Ensure Docker is installed on your host system. Official installation guides are available at:
[docker.com/get-started](https://www.docker.com/get-started)

Verify Docker installation with:

```bash
docker --version
```

## Quick Deployment

Launch Papra with default configuration using:

```bash
docker run -d \
  --name papra \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  --env APP_BASE_URL=http://localhost:1221 \
  -p 1221:1221 \
  ghcr.io/papra-hq/papra:latest
```

This command will:
1. Pull the latest rootless image from GitHub Container Registry
2. Expose the web interface on [http://localhost:1221](http://localhost:1221)
3. Configure automatic restarts for service continuity

## Image Variants

Choose between two security models based on your requirements:

- **Rootless**: Tagged as `latest`, `latest-rootless` or `<version>-rootless` (like `0.2.1-rootless`). Recommended for most users.
- **Root**: Tagged as `latest-root` or `<version>-root` (like `0.2.1-root`). Only use if you need to run Papra as the root user.

The `:latest` tag always references the latest rootless build.

## Persistent Data Configuration

For production deployments, mount host directories to preserve application data between container updates.

<Steps>

1. Create Storage Directories

    Create a directory for Papra data `./papra-data`, with `./papra-data/db` and `./papra-data/documents` subdirectories:

    ```bash
    mkdir -p ./papra-data/{db,documents}
    ```

2. Launch Container with Volume Binding

    ```bash
    docker run -d \
      --name papra \
      --restart unless-stopped \
      --env APP_BASE_URL=http://localhost:1221 \
      -p 1221:1221 \
      -v $(pwd)/papra-data:/app/app-data \
      --user $(id -u):$(id -g) \
      ghcr.io/papra-hq/papra:latest
    ```

    This configuration:
    - Maintains data integrity across container lifecycle events
    - Enforces proper file ownership without manual permission adjustments
    - Stores both database files and document assets persistently

</Steps>

## Image Registries

Papra images are distributed through multiple channels:

**Primary Source (GHCR):**
```bash
docker pull ghcr.io/papra-hq/papra:latest
docker pull ghcr.io/papra-hq/papra:latest-rootless
docker pull ghcr.io/papra-hq/papra:latest-root
```

**Community Mirror (Docker Hub):**
```bash
docker pull corentinth/papra:latest
docker pull corentinth/papra:latest-rootless
docker pull corentinth/papra:latest-root
```

## Updating Papra

Regularly pull updated images and recreate containers to receive security patches and feature updates.

```bash
docker pull ghcr.io/papra-hq/papra:latest
# Or
docker pull corentinth/papra:latest
```
